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Rory Hutchinson feeling sharp ahead of Prem final showdown

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Rory Hutchinson insists he is not feeling the effects of a long and arduous season as he prepares for the Prem final with Northampton Saints.

The 30-year-old is set to make his 26th appearance for club and country in a hectic campaign, while he also toured with Scotland to New Zealand and Fiji last summer.

But Hutchinson, who will start the Prem final, says he's feeling in good shape both mentally and physically ahead of Saints' biggest game of the season.

Speaking to Scotland Rugby News this week, he said: "For me, it feels like it's been broken up into a few areas. You start the season going into the autumn, come back [to the club] for a bit, then go to Six Nations and then you have this last bit."

Rory Hutchinson (Image: Joe Giddens/PA Wire)

Hutchinson, who added to his 11 caps with autumn appearances against New Zealand and Argentina, praised the strength and conditioning staff at Northampton for ensuring heis well looked after.

"It's been nice [to be with Scotland] because it's a change of scenery," he said, despite a frustrating Six Nations in which he did not feature with Jones returning to the 13 jersey.

Hutchinson added: "You go away for a bit and then you come back and you get a bit of time off and you come back refreshed.

"The player management, they get spot on here at Northampton. The S&C and the backroom staff are really hot on the minutes people play and how their bodies are coping. We're looked after very well."

The Scotland centre will start in the number 12 jersey at Twickenham as Saints look for their second Prem title in three seasons, while fellow Scotland cap Elliot Millar Mills has been picked to start at tighthead prop.

Elliot Millar Mills was part of the Scotland squad during the Six Nations (Image: Mike Egerton/PA Wire)

It will be his Northampton swansong before he moves to Newcastle Red Bull in the summer.

The Saints will also be bidding to give Lee Radford a winning farewell as he joins the Scotland coaching staff on a full-time basis this summer.

And for Hutchinson, it could be the perfect start to a special year with the club.

They recently announced plans for the Scotland centre to mark more than a decade at Franklin's Gardens with a testimonial year next season.

"It's obviously an honour to be awarded it and we'll have some fun with it," he said.

"Northampton is my boyhood club and it's been home for me for a long time. I've really enjoyed playing with the group of players we have. 

"This club have given me a lot."

Hutchinson said kick-starting the celebrations, which will raise money for Restart Rugby and the Northampton Saints Foundation, as a Premiership champion would be the icing on the cake.

"I think it would start the year off really well but I'm not really thinking too much about that at the moment because it's one more game.

"I like to take things week by week and this is the biggest game of the season for us." 

However, Saints' Scotland hooker Robbie Smith has missed out on the matchday squad.

Gregor Townsend said the 27-year-old, who has battled back from a serious knee injury to play 22 games for Northampton this season, could be in the mix for the Scotland squad if there are injuries before or during the Nations Championship.

Another to miss out is former Scotland U20 cap Charlie Chapman, who has not made the Exeter squad.

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